If Pushkar has been on your list, now is the best time to tick it off. The Pushkar Fair is round the corner. On from October 28 to November 4, this predominantly cattle-trading fest packs in enough action to keep you hooked. Villagers from across India, along with their camels, horses and cows, travel for days on end to make it in time, and buying and selling is done in bewilderingly enterprising ways. Expect to see camels trot around in tailor-made outfits enhanced with pompoms, bells and mirrors. Some even brandish henna. Sights like horses spot-jogging on a charpoy are also fairly common. This, you will learn, is to determine their fitness and of course price. Between checking out toy stalls and photo studios that are reminiscent of the melas in old Hindi movies, do gorge on mirchi pakoras and camel-milk cheesecakes. There are other add-ons too, like paragliding and Ferris wheel rides. This year, the fair kicks off with a ‘Harmony Marathon’ from Ajmer’s famous Moinuddin Chishti Dargah to Pushkar’s iconic Brahma Temple. Other highlights include a moustache contest, kabbadi matches, and gigs by Indian Ocean and The Raghu Dixit Project.

All photos are clicked by Abhishek Hajela. For our guide on Pushkar, go here; more information on the Pushkar Fair can be found here.

Abhishek Hajela
is the recipient of the prestigious Nikon World Photography Award. He works with Olympus, Go Pro and Manfrotto in India to lead and design photography trips; apart from working with US photographers on India Photo Trips.